Join Nevada Humanities for an important conversation with Harvard University-based political theorist and visionary Danielle Allen. As co-chair of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship and its final bipartisan report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, Allen has engaged with communities all over the United States to explore how best to respond to the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in our political and civic life and reinforce our democratic strengths. At this online event, Allen discusses the importance of civics in education and in everyday life, and the strategies and recommendations that may help our nation emerge and grow as a more robust and resilient democracy. Allen talks with Debra Moddelmog, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno.

This event kicks off a season of programming funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities’s special initiative A More Perfect Union, an initiative designed to demonstrate and enhance the critical role the humanities play in our nation. All programs developed under this initiative will be anchored by this project’s focus: deepening appreciation for the connections between the humanities, our community stories, and a commitment to understanding the founding of the country in all its complexities.

Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought. She is the recipient of the 2020 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, an award administered by the Library of Congress that recognizes work in disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes. Widely known for her work on justice and citizenship in both ancient Athens and modern America, Allen is the author of six books including Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, Education and Equality (2015) and Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. (2017), and most recently, Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus (2021).  

Debra Moddelmog is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno. As dean, she has implemented a number of strategic initiatives designed to confirm the value and relevance of the liberal arts, encouraged the development of new academic programs, hired significant numbers of new faculty with an emphasis on diversifying the academic faculty and curriculum, and introduced programs to nurture student success and facilitate faculty research and creative activity. Among other projects, she has led the development of an Applied Liberal Arts Initiative, assisted in creating a dual-degree program for liberal arts students seeking to become secondary school teachers, and fostered a variety of connections between the college and the community. She has published five books and numerous articles on American literature, teaching, sexuality studies, film, and academic women’s leadership. During her 30-year academic career, she has received several awards for her work on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. 

This event is produced by Nevada Humanities in partnership with the Humanities Center at Great Basin College and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and community partners.